Recombinant protein immobilisation and display by alginate : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements of the degree of Master of Science in Microbiology at Massey University, Palmerston North, New Zealand.

Biopolymers are a diverse group of organic materials with important applications in a number of industries. Their ability to adsorb and encapsulate compounds has been widely utilised in both biotechnologies and pharmaceuticals. In the last decade, biopolymers have been given new and enhanced functionality, including the separation and purification of compounds. This field is of increasing relevance as advances in the bacterial cell culture process have improved productivity in the biomanufacturing industry, with the establishment of several bacterial host cell lines and optimised protein production systems. This increase in upstream productivity is leading to bottlenecks in downstream processing as current technology platforms reach their limits of throughput and scalability. While previous studies have generated functionalised protein biopolymers using polyhydroxyalkanoate (PHA) biopolyester beads, very few studies have examined the commercially significant biopolymer alginate. Alginate is an exopolysaccharide produced by algae and some bacteria, and is widely utilised in food, pharmaceutical, and biomedical industries because of its stabilising, haemostatic, biocompatible properties and its modifiable structure. In this study, a partially functional alginate-binding recombinant protein was produced, which contained an α-amylase domain from Bacillus licheniformis (BLA) translationally fused to the alginate-binding domain of Pseudomonas aeruginosa AlgX – an alginate acetyltransferase. An Ssp DnaB mini-intein was included between BLA and AlgX to facilitate recovery of BLA, following immobilisation and display on the surface of alginate. However, aberrant activity of the intein caused total cleavage of the recombinant protein between its BLA and AlgX domains before it could be recovered from the protein production system. Additionally, the absence of a key cysteine residue in the alginate-binding domain prevented the formation of a disulfide bond, which is an essential structural element for the folding and functionality of this region. While this study was unable to overcome intein hyperactivity, functional analysis of the BLA domain showed consistent and significant levels of α-amylase activity, leading to a positive outlook for the functionality of a full-length recombinant protein if proper intein activity can be restored and the necessary cysteine included. In this way, alginate could be specifically functionalised with a desired protein, and in turn, alginate beads could be used for the separation and enrichment of target proteins

Current Management of Computerized Personnel Files in Virginia Public Schools: A Legal and Policy Analysis

Privacy in the workplace will be a significant legal and policy issue in employment during the late 1990\u27s. The impact of computer technology in employment highlights privacy concerns and issues and is particularly acute in public school employment. Public schools have a right to know information about teachers which relates to their fitness in working with children. At the same time, teachers have a legitimate expectation of privacy, especially as it applies to their professional reputations and their abilities to maintain or obtain future employment in teaching. This study had two purposes. One was to determine the extent of computer usage for personnel files in Virginia public schools, and the existence of policies and nature of practices for the management of data maintained in such a fashion through a survey of all school divisions in Virginia. The other was to make recommendations to assist public school divisions in the establishment or revision of management policies and practices governing computerized personnel files, after a thorough review of applicable sources of federal and state law. The study found that 83% of all public school divisions in Virginia responding to the survey use computers to maintain at least one category of personal information about their teachers. The categories of data range from contract information to employee assistance programs. School divisions use a variety of computer formats (i.e., mainframes, minicomputers, PCs) for these purposes. The results of the survey demonstrate that not all school divisions have written policies in place, or training of staff, or security mechanisms for their computer systems necessary for compliance with state statutes. These statutes, the Freedom of Information Act, the Privacy Protection Act, and the Computer Crimes Act, delineate the legal responsibilities of school divisions in the areas of employee privacy and management of personal information. The study concludes with specific recommendations for the areas of written policy, staff training, and system security

\u3ci\u3eEREMOPHYGUS BICOLOR\u3c/i\u3e (GUTIÉRREZ) (COLEOPTERA: SCARABAEIDAE: RUTELINAE: RUTELINI): A NEW TRIBAL AND GENERIC PLACEMENT FOR THE BOLIVIAN SCARAB \u3ci\u3ePLATYCOELIA BICOLOR\u3c/i\u3e (GUTIÉRREZ) (ANOPLOGNATHINI)

Platycoelia bicolor (Gutiérrez) (Scarabaeidae: Rutelinae) is transferred from the tribe Anoplognathini, subtribe Platycoeliina, to the tribe Rutelini. Platycoelia bicolor is placed in the genus Eremophygus Ohaus and the taxonomic history of the species is discussed. The transfer creates a new combination, Eremophygus bicolor (Gutiérrez) and places the generic name Heterocallichloris Gutiérrez as a junior synonym of Eremophygus (new synonymy). Morphological characters that warrant the transfer are discussed. Se transfiere Platycoelia bicolor (Gutiérrez) (Scarabaeidae: Rutelinae) de la tribu Anoplognathini, subtribe Platycoeliina, a la tribu Rutelini. Se transfiere Platycoelia bicolor al género Eremophygus Ohaus y se discute su historia taxonómica. La transferencia crea una nueva combinación, Eremophygus bicolor (Gutiérrez) y ubica al nombre genérico Heterocallichloris Gutiérrez como un sinónimo junior de Eremophygus. Se discuten los caracteres morfológicos que justifican la transferencia

Measuring the effect of Bi-directional migration remittances on poverty and inequality in Nicaragua

Journal ArticleThis paper examines the impact of migrants' remittances on poverty and income distribution in Nicaragua. Nicaraguan emigrants are fairly evenly distributed between the United States and Costa Rica. Poorer migrants overwhelmingly migrate to Costa Rica; richer migrants favor the United States. This bi-directional flow provides an opportunity to examine the distributional impacts of remittances in a situation that offers distinct opportunities to different groups of prospective migrants. To this end, we use Heckman's (1976) sample selection method to predict counterfactual "no-migration" consumption figures for Nicaraguan households whose members have emigrated. Using these estimates, we are able to compare the current situation to one in which migration had not occurred. We find that migration to Costa Rica results in increased per capita household consumption for poor households, while migration to the United States leads to increases for middle class households. The rate, depth, and severity of poverty as measured by the Foster, Greer, Thorbecke Indices (1984) decrease, though only slightly. However, inequality appears to increase, likely because the middle class benefits from U.S. migration, while the poor tend to make it no farther than Costa Rica

The Charitable Habits of Blood Donors

Introduction: There is a need for a constant supply of blood and blood products (e.g. plasma and platelets) in the American health care system. Common recipients of blood include: patients at risk for major hemorrhage, patients with sickle cell anemia, patients undergoing surgery, and thrombocytopenia in neonatal patients. This demand is met through nationwide blood banks, such as the American Red Cross, and their blood donation programs. The American Red Cross relies solely on volunteer donors; thus, one of the most pressing issues facing this institution is getting donors in the door. Through our survey questions we hope to uncover more factors that guide individuals in their philanthropic ways. The overall goal of this research is focused on unveiling new information that will supply the American Red Cross with valuable insight into their donor population and possible opportunities for joint publicity. We investigated the similarities and difference between how and why individuals undertake certain charitable activities.https://scholarworks.uvm.edu/comphp_gallery/1206/thumbnail.jp

High fat diet causes depletion of intestinal eosinophils associated with intestinal permeability.

The development of intestinal permeability and the penetration of microbial products are key factors associated with the onset of metabolic disease. However, the mechanisms underlying this remain unclear. Here we show that, unlike liver or adipose tissue, high fat diet (HFD)/obesity in mice does not cause monocyte/macrophage infiltration into the intestine or pro-inflammatory changes in gene expression. Rather HFD causes depletion of intestinal eosinophils associated with the onset of intestinal permeability. Intestinal eosinophil numbers were restored by returning HFD fed mice to normal chow and were unchanged in leptin-deficient (Ob/Ob) mice, indicating that eosinophil depletion is caused specifically by a high fat diet and not obesity per se. Analysis of different aspects of intestinal permeability in HFD fed and Ob/Ob mice shows an association between eosinophil depletion and ileal paracelullar permeability, as well as leakage of albumin into the feces, but not overall permeability to FITC dextran. These findings provide the first evidence that a high fat diet causes intestinal eosinophil depletion, rather than inflammation, which may contribute to defective barrier integrity and the onset of metabolic disease

The Interrelations Between Spiritual Well-Being, Pain Interference and Depressive Symptoms in Patients with Multiple Sclerosis

Depressive symptoms are common in individuals with multiple sclerosis (MS), and are frequently exacerbated by pain; however, spiritual well-being may allow persons with MS to more effectively cope with pain-related deficits in physical and role functioning. We explored the associations between spiritual well-being, pain interference and depressive symptoms, assessing each as a potential mediator, in eighty-one patients being treated for MS, who completed self-report measures: Functional Assessment of Chronic Illness Therapy-Spiritual Well-Being Scale, Pain Effects Scale, and Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale Revised. At the bivariate level, spiritual well-being and its subscale of meaning and peace were negatively associated with depression and pain interference. In mediation models, depression was not related to pain interference via spiritual well-being, or to spiritual well-being via pain interference. Pain interference was related to depression via spiritual well-being and meaning/peace, and to spiritual well-being and meaning/peace via depressive symptoms. Finally, spiritual well-being and meaning/peace were related to depression via pain interference, and to pain interference via depressive symptoms. For patients with MS, a multi-faceted approach to treatment that includes pain reduction and promotion of spiritual well-being may be beneficial, although amelioration of depression remains a critical task